NEW ORLEANS - Partygoers looking forward to this upcoming Mardi Gras season could possibly be in for a massive disappointment due to a critical shortage of important city employees.

"If we don't have adequate police, it could mean that there will be no Mardi Gras—and that's a fact," said New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a town hall meeting Thursday night, according to WGNO. "If our officers cannot be safe, then there's no way that our city will be safe."

Staffing issues don't stop at the police department: according to the New Orleans EMS Director, Dr. Meg Marino, EMS is "currently operating with 60% of our current staffing. I want you to think about that for a minute, 60 percent of the number of EMS providers to make the city safe and healthy."

Cantrell said the NOPD is focusing on recruitment and retention, and she went on to urge any city residents interested in protecting and serving to join the force.